The Luxury Collection Hotel Manhattan Midtown

“Luxury but needs attention”

My first time staying at this hotel but was tempted by Marriott taking over the hotel earlier in the year from Hilton. I saw some really awful reviews since the takeover but I hoped that as my trip was over thanksgiving then any problems would have been ironed out so I used my hard earned Marriott… more

My first time staying at this hotel but was tempted by Marriott taking over the hotel earlier in the year from Hilton. I saw some really awful reviews since the takeover but I hoped that as my trip was over thanksgiving then any problems would have been ironed out so I used my hard earned Marriott reward points for a one bedroom suite. So I have positives and negative’s. I had hoped it would all be positives as I like to be fair and like to make up my own mind as we all have our opinions and what others find unacceptable I might like. CHECK IN Arrived 26 November evening. No lines so straight in there. A lovely warm welcome and a thank you for your loyalty (Titanium lifetime). No mention of any upgrade so I asked saying i know I’ve already got a suite. I know there were Park Views available as an example but advised “we can put you on a higher floor (36)”. THE SUITE 3609 The living room was beautifully furnished and well appointed and very clean. However, one glaring issue was the inside curtain that had come away from the track so wouldn’t close properly and hanging down and just looked a mess. This should have been so obvious when housekeeping had serviced the room and does not meet the description “Luxury”. The Bedroom was also lovely but was far too hot (it was cold in New York but i can’t sleep in a hot room) and it was impossible to put the A/C on cold air. The dressing area was well appointed, The Bathroom looked beautiful and i was very impressed initially (see further down). The next morning I went to the front desk and asked if maintenance could fix the curtains and the A/C. It wasn’t done that day so mentioned it another day and both remained unfixed for my 5 night stay. I had to sleep with the window open which made it cooler but noisy. I know that some people check absolutely everything, I don’t. If it looks good then I’m happy but I’d seen some negative comments about mould in the shower and thought I’d look and unfortunately there it was, hard to miss at eye level in the seal and then further down around the base of the shower. Housekeeping only get a certain allowance of time for each room so this should not be a job for them, it needs maintenance to clean it or replace the seals. With a large hotel of 54 floors I gave them the benefit of the doubt and thought that they hadn’t been able to rectify all issues inherited from Hilton so didn’t feel it warranted mentioning during my stay and it certainly didn’t affect me using the slower, I knew it was there, I ignored it but like the curtain, to justify calling your property “ The Luxury Collection” then the basics need to be in place so the management should look at this. Also the seal behind the sink was pretty poor and I wasn’t searching for it but it was too obvious not to miss. Also I dropped something on the bathroom floor which went under the shallow lip of the bottom shelf under the sink and found a dirty used cotton bud. I didn’t pick it up, I knew it was there but couldn’t see it unless I looked for it so yes not great cleanliness but it didn’t freak me out or affect my use of the bathroom. BREAKFAST AT DABBLE Service was very good, fast and attentive. Food quality good but extremely limited menu for A La Carte options. It’s the Luxury Collection hotel so you expect prices to be more than average but these were VERY high and at $50 for any hot items in the American Buffet Breakfast there was very little choice of hot food. I don’t think I’ve seen such a poor selection anywhere before. $25 for continental that includes drip coffee and not a coffee of your choice was steep. $12 for a single Cappuccino or Latte as an add on to the continental makes this ridiculously expensive. The only reason I continued to go to Breakfast at Dabble was because I’d chosen the $25 breakfast credit as my welcome gift and had $35 a day credit for the mandatory destination fee, however this gets eaten up very quickly when you order Two eggs freestyle (see menu), one Latte and one orange juice and the bill comes to $64 including service charge already added in. I don’t agree with mandatory destination fees, if they’re a benefit that is an advantage to guests then you should be able to opt in or opt out but I knew I’d have to pay it. Hilton do not charge their loyal members destination fees if the stay is payed completely by points as mine was so I had a charge of $200 total for my destination fee including tax. If Marriott want to show loyalty to their top loyal members these fees should be waived for Titanium and maybe Platinum. CHECK OUT I was very grateful for the 3pm late checkout I asked for and checkout was quick and smooth. OVERALL A good stay in a really lovely hotel with lovely suites but attention to detail needed and breakfast choices need improvement. All the staff were lovely. If I hadn’t got the few issues I’d have gladly given it 5***** but as it is at the moment it’s 4**** but “luxury” needs better.

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